From the Pulpit

Clarence Talley Sr.

Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Last week we concluded by asking: should the prodigal son be applauded or booed? Or should the approving father be pitied or praised?

Those familiar with the story of the Prodigal Son know that empathy for both the son and the father is in order. The anxious son is bent on spreading his wings and going his way. And the loving father chooses not to roadblock his efforts.

Thus, the son gathers his belongings and departs from the safety and security of the father’s house to encounter a world that is at enmity with the all that he has been taught. And as for the father, he sadly bids his young son farewell. Partings and goodbyes among love ones are difficult even under the best circumstances. But when there is an air of dissension, goodbyes are worst.

Nevertheless, the Scriptures make it plain that “this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.”

How long it took for things to start going awry in the life of this young man the Bible does not say. But we are told, in his attempt to enjoy and free himself of the restraints of home, the young man freely indulged. With little thought for tomorrow, he squandered away what his father had worked so long and hard to provide. “Wild living” filled his days in the far country.

Living in this world puts us all in the far country, a distant land, virtually separated from our heavenly Father. Our separation, however, is physical not spiritual. God has promised never to leave us or forsake us. Hence, He is always with us. He is Emmanuel: God with us. Like sheep gone astray, we may wonder away from Him, as the prodigal did, but the Lord is always there for us. He is, at all times, a very present God especially in a time of trouble.

Troubles that seeks us out or troubles of our own making, both are best faced with God on our side. In the case of the prodigal, willful separation from the father and bad choices lead to trouble. In addition, nature had taken her course: “a great famine swept over the land.” While the good times rolled, little consideration had been given to tomorrow. Now on the verge of starving, more choices had to be made. And as a result, the prodigal chooses to take on the most degrading work: the work of feeding swine.

Life in the far country was no longer eating, drinking, and being merry. The sound of laughter and merriment was now replaced with the snorting of swine along with their odorous smell. And even worse, the food prepared for the swine began to look like a delicious delicacy. The prodigal’s journey had brought him to this low point. And from here, where does he go? No one is interested in him. No one shares with him. No one gave unto him. He is on his own. His goods are depleted. His monies are gone. And seemingly he is all alone.

Yes, he is alone but not all alone. What the prodigal’s father had put in him, “train up a child,” is with him. The heavenly Father that the earthly father had exposed the son to, is with him. He is the same God who is with us. He is the same God who shines the spotlight on our errors.

He is the same God who exposes our waywardness and shows us the way we should go. But in the end, like the prodigal, each of us decides our own fate. You, me, consciously or subconsciously, we decide. We, as Joshua said, must: “Choose ye this day.”

The prodigal did just that. “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself. ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

What a confession! A confession based on revelation and common sense. An empty stomach and a trip down memory lane made the prodigal realize that things didn’t have to be the way they were. The father had not put him out of the house. His warm bed, hot meals, and a refreshing shower were still available. Remembering the blessedness of the hired servants caused the prodigal to repent, reevaluate, and return to a better way.

In our own eyes, our ways may always seem right. But if our ways are not aligned with our heavenly Father then we are going in the wrong direction. What’s worst than being headed in the wrong direction is never realizing you’re traveling wrong. The prodigal realized that his continued journey in the wrong direction would finally lead him to destruction. Thus he came to the realization that a u-turn was needed and the prodigal turns and heads for home.